The biomechanical events which are resultant from the functional loading of the human mandible are not fully understood. The techniques normally used to measure these events are highly invasive and anatomical limitations such as muscle attachments severely limit the access to bone without disrupting normal functional activity. Therefore in vivo biomechanical studies of the human mandible are often compromised due to the time, cost and ethical problems involved in the execution of clinical trials. Functionally induced deformation and its resultant strains within the mandible are of practical as well as theoretical importance. The design and anatomical attachment of post-fracture rigid internal fixation depends heavily on the perceived and calculated strains in the mandible. The purpose of this study will be to determine the overall stress/strain distributions within the human mandible during simulated complex bending. The approach involves, both an experimental measurement of the stresses in the corpus of the mandible and an analytical finite element model. The experimental design utilizes strain gage instrumentation in combination with a custom designed loading apparatus to simulated complex bending of a human mandibular corpus. A computational analysis with a 3- D finite element program (I-DEAS, SDRC) will also be performed for comparison with experimental results. Computer modeling offers a promising alternative in this regard, with the additional ability to predict regional stresses and strains in clinically inaccessible places. If a reasonable mathematical simulation of the dentofacial structures can be attained with finite element methods, then significant advances can be made in the validation and development of new materials for dental and maxilla-f @kacial surgery.